Details of Democratic nominations

We are the chairs who presided over the meetings at which Elie Kirshner and Nate Shinagawa were nominated as the Democratic candidates for vacant seats on the county legislature.

New York state Election Law and the County Charter lay out the rules by which we fill vacancies. It would have been great to have had a longer time period for filling these vacancies, but we must abide by the legal process.

Committee members who represent the legislative district have the responsibility for nominating a candidate to be included on the ballot. The names of committee members are not secret; they are a matter of public record.

Our county chair issues a news release as soon as the announcements of vacancies were made, asking people to call her for further information. The meetings were not secret. Any candidate could have brought people with them, as our county chair would have told anyone who responded to her release.

I, Laura Lewis, am chair of the 5th Ward Committee, which includes the 2nd Legislative District. Our members at the time of our endorsement vote were myself, Dan Cogan, Carol Ornstein (absent from our meeting), Deb Mohlenhoff, Josephine Martell, Chibo Shinagawa, John Shortle and Patty Sipman. Chibo Shinagawa recused herself from the vote to avoid any perception of a conflict as she is Nate's sister.

Two candidates came forward and were interviewed by our committee, and each had equal opportunity to respond to questions. Nate's progressive record and demonstrated leadership carried the day with a majority vote, and he was nominated as our candidate.

I, Brian King, am chair of the 4th Ward Committee, which includes the 4th Legislative District and a section of the 2nd Ward. My committee members are myself, Jane Marcham and Ellen King. Seph Murtagh represents the part of the 2nd Ward that is in the 4th Legislative District, so he participated as well.

Two candidates were interviewed and given time to respond to questions at our committee meeting. Elie has worked on federal and state grant proposals, he has worked in coordination with Collegetown businesses, and he has helped to organize events like the Commons Re-Opening Celebration and City Hall in Your Neighborhood. He is focused on strengthening the communication between residents of the 4th Legislative District and Cornell University on issues of common concern. It is for these reasons that our committee's majority vote was to nominate Elie for county legislator.

Please call either of us with any further questions: Laura Lewis, (607) 279-2075, and Brian King, (212) 380-3069.